Magazines are a collection of stories or articles that usually come with descriptive photos or drawing. GQ, Cosmo, Elle, People. These are all examples of magazines. Journals are either 1) a personal record of thoughts, events and/or actions OR 2) they are a very specific type of magazine or newspaper that deals with specific subjects. A magazine that deals with medicine might be considered a medical journal. A newspaper like the Wall Street Journal deals specifically with economics and finance. Log are a record of events. Usually for legal or business reasons but can also be for personal reasons. A diary or a journal is considered a personal log. A daily record on a shipping vessel is called a ship's log. So, because it has more than one definition, a personal journal is a type of log whereas a professional journal would be considered a type of magazine. Ironically, the word blog comes from web log. In the early days of the internet, web logs were a place to post personal thoughts and events. They were basically online personal journals. But many blogs today have gone beyond personal journals into something more closely resembling magazines. They have new articles and stories not always by the same author.

A journal is for specialized readers - it uses special terminology and contains research (e.g. journal of educational psychology). A magazine has general readership e.g. 'Hello' magazine. A journal can also be a diary! But a diary is strictly a record of personal experiences however a journal is a more general record. A log is a full written record of a journey, a period of time, or event (e.g. a ship's log).

Hi not same